Quotes

Genre

• Fiction
• Fantasy
• Fairy Tale
• Paranormal
• Horror (Not that horrific)
• Magic

Trigger Warnings

• Domestic abuse
• Pregnancy & childbirth mentioned
• Miscarriage mentioned
• Blood & injury depiction
• Death of a child
• Death of a sibling
• Vivisepulture (being buried alive) mentioned

*There may be spoilers in this review. I will try to avoid major spoilers but some need to be brought up to be discussed.

Summary

After years of seeing her sisters suffer at the hands of an abusive prince, Marra—the shy, convent-raised, third-born daughter—has finally realized that no one is coming to their rescue. No one, except for Marra herself.

Seeking help from a powerful dust-wife, Marra is offered the tools to kill a prince—if she can complete three impossible tasks. But, as is the way in tales of princes, witches, and daughters, the impossible is only the beginning.

On her quest, Marra is joined by the dust-wife, a reluctant fairy godmother, a strapping former knight, and a chicken possessed by a demon. Together, the five of them intend to be the hand that closes around the throat of the prince and frees Marra’s family and their kingdom from its tyrannous ruler at last.

Characters

• Marra – Third Princess of the Harbor Kingdom
• Damia – First princess of the Harbor Kingdom daughter of the king’s first wife
• Kania – Second Princess of the Harbor Kingdom
• Mother – Second Wife to the King of the Harbor Kingdom
• Dust-wife – Believed to be able to speak to the dead, she helps Marra on her quest. She has a demon chicken
• Agnes – The Fairy Godmother to the Princesses of the Harbor Kingdom
• Fenris – An ex-soldier that Marra saves from the Goblin Market
• Prince Vorling – Prince of the North Kingdom, marries Marra’s sisters
• The Royal Godmother – Blesses the royal line
• The King – Old king on North Kingdom who is barely aware of things going on
• Sister Apothecary – Teachers Marra at the convent about many things

Setting

Set in a fairytale-land, The North Kingdom and the Harbor Kingdom are where the characters stay. There are cool scenes like the one in the goblin market or in the palace crypts. Kingfisher does a great job with making you feel like you are in the scene.

Overview

The first couple of chapters had a very dark feel to it, the Bone Dog construction was creative and had a dark fairy tale vibe to it. What caught me off guard was the humor that developed as more and more characters joined Marra on her journey. The characters themselves were incredibly likeable, The Dust-wife and Fenris in particular were my favorites and Marra was a very sympathetic lead. She grew up through the story, ending up in her thirties when she went on her quest, not something you see often. I appreciated the process she went through to figure out what was going on around her but also in her own heart and mind.

The world was pretty straight forward and basic but it came to life when Marra and her friends made waves. The goblin market and the royal tombs with their monsters were fun but I feel like we could have gotten to know the blighted forest more.

It wasn’t quite what I thought it was going to be but it had a unique atmosphere and a natural flow to the story. I liked it differently from the way I thought I was going to but I think I liked it better for having its own voice.

Pros

Like I said before, its unique voice was one of the best parts of the novel. Marra stands out from many YA leads with the vulnerable way she relays her experiences. When she talks about how her sister said she hates her and it translates to a weight under her ribs. She slowly starts to understand her fear and rage and she pitches herself against the force of having no agency. She has a quiet dignity to her and I respected the crap out of her for being determined to save a sister that said she hated her.

The cast of characters was another plus. They supported the flow of the story well and had good chemistry not just with Marra but with each other. They existed outside of the major storyline and had realistic motivations. They cracked jokes with each other, teasing and keeping an eye out for each other.

As much as I want more of the story it felt like a fairy tale length. It said what it needed to say and didn’t over stay its welcome.

Cons

As much as I appreciated the brevity, I wish there was a bit more time spent on certain locations. I really wanted to know more about the blighted forest.

The magic was not explained, again a bit of a nitpick. I just wanted to know how this world worked. Why the dead could be summoned, how did the goblin market and fairy forts fit into the world and how did the moonlight stay in the jar?

The villains didn’t have a lot of screen time but the crimes committed were pretty hefty. The end too was quick and there wasn’t a ton of payoff to the end. I was more content with their happily ever after than with the peak of action.

Final Thoughts

So, overall, I really enjoyed it.

It wasn’t what I thought it was going to be when I started. The bone dog and the blighted forest had me thinking it was going to be one of those “going through the woods” type story but the cast of characters more than made up for the direction switch.

It was one of those hard to place types as far as Young Adult or New Adult, but with the fairy tale element I figured it would be better to place it with things it would be compared to.

In some places, it was pretty basic. The motivation of the story itself, a princess in an unwanted marriage to a monster of a prince needs to be rescued, and the roles of the characters are pretty straightforward. The nuances were where all the flavor comes out. Marra’s way of looking at the path ahead of her and knowing she can’t take any other course is natural and empowering. The feminist story was a refreshing touch to the damsel in distress trope.

The Dust-wife was a new touch on the witch and her magic was fun to follow.

The demon-chicken was also delightful.

I would recommend this to anyone who likes the fairy tale type of story

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